Brisbane City Council (BCC) has identified an urgent need to respond to the looming Retirement Living and Aged Care accommodation crisis by providing immediate incentives and amendments to the planning framework.
A Taskforce established by the Lord Mayor outlines a number of initiatives to encourage retirement living development and ensure older Brisbane residents the option to ‘age in place’. BCC’s immediate initiatives include:
- Reduction of Infrastructure Charges
Development Permits issued between 1 September 2016 and 31 December 2019 will be eligible for a 33% reduction in infrastructure charges.
- Streamlined Development Assessment
BCC will assist in a more streamlined approach to the assessment of Retirement Living and Aged Care Accommodation. This will include dedicated assessment managers with experience in assessing retirement and aged care housing, free pre-lodgement advice and a decision on your application within 90 business days.
BCC is also progressing with amendments to the City Plan 2014 to broaden the scope and streamline assessment further for seniors living. Given the processes involved in amending the City Plan this is expected to be introduced in late 2017. Future amendments include:
- Increase in allowable Building Heights
Within the medium and high density residential zones retirement living and aged care accommodation can exceed the designated building height by 2 storeys and remain code assessable.
- Co-location with Privately Owned Sport and Rec
Land zoned for private recreation such as bowls clubs and golf courses will allow seniors living as a permitted land use.
- Broaden Zones
Include retirement living and aged care accommodation as allowable code assessable land uses within the Low Density Residential, Low-Medium Density Residential, Specialised Centre and Community Facilities Zones.
- Allow Small-scale Supporting Uses
Allow eligible non-residential uses to co-locate with retirement facilities such as child care, community uses, cafes and retail as appropriate.
- A Single Retirement Facility and Residential Care Facility Code
The creation of one single code tailored specifically to seniors living. This will also include provisions for greater building height on larger sites provided building height transitions are applied.
- Self-assessment of Re-purposed Building Work
If re-purposing existing retirement facilities to aged care, or vice-versa, there is no need to go through a code assessable development permit. This will allow for a smoother transition for a similar type of land use.
More information can be found on Brisbane City Council’s website.
Looking for advice about your next project?
Jensen Bowers is a leading property consultancy for Australia’s senior living and aged care providers. Call 07 3319 4933 to speak to our experienced Planners.